Christian D Santangelo

Christian D Santangelo is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Syracuse University and serves as the Director of Graduate Studies. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara (2004) and a B.A. from Cornell University (1997). His research focuses on extreme mechanics, nonlinear elasticity, mechanical metamaterials, self-assembly, origami engineering, and liquid crystals. He has authored over 75 peer-reviewed articles and secured nearly $4.5 million in external grants.

Research Highlights:

• Design of tunable mechanical metamaterials and self-folding structures.
• Investigation of geometric frustration in materials and stress accumulation in mechanical systems.
• Study of curvature effects in elastic structures and wave localization phenomena.

Recent Work: Recent publications explore topics such as bifurcations in inflated materials, configuration space topology in mechanisms, and the mechanics of bacterial cell growth. His research bridges theoretical physics and applied engineering, with implications for soft matter and materials science.

• Awards: William Wasserstrom Prize (2024), APS Early Career Award, NSF CAREER Award, and Fellow of the American Physical Society.
• Grants: Includes NSF-funded projects on wave propagation in curved surfaces and 4D printing of mechanical metamaterials.
• Service: Served as program chair for the APS March Meeting and co-leader of the BioInspired Institute's Smart Materials Focus Group.

Labs/Teams: Part of the BioInspired Institute and the Division of Soft Matter (DSOFT), contributing to interdisciplinary collaborations in soft matter physics and materials design.